Social-pragmatic development in children who use bilateral hearing aids or bilateral cochlear implants and in typically hearing children between the ages of four and six years
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
Linnanmaa, L10
Topic of the dissertation
Social-pragmatic development in children who use bilateral hearing aids or bilateral cochlear implants and in typically hearing children between the ages of four and six years
Doctoral candidate
Master of Arts Krista Tuohimaa
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Humanities, Research Unit of Logopedics
Subject of study
Logopedics
Opponent
Professor Ona Bø Wie, University of Oslo
Custos
Professor Sari Kunnari, University of Oulu
There is a need to further develop care and habilitation practices for deaf and hard-of-hearing children
The results of Krista Tuohimaa's PhD study showed that children who use bilateral hearing aids or cochlear implants still have difficulties with social language use at the age of six. Therefore, care and habilitation practices for deaf and hard-of-hearing children need to be developed in order to improve their participation and learning opportunities.
Diagnostics of hearing loss in children, hearing aids and cochlear implants have improved considerably over the last decades. However, a child who uses hearing aids or cochlear implants usually does not have completely typical hearing and therefore often needs speech and language therapy.
"In typically developing children, speech perception, language and social communication skills develop rapidly from infancy onwards. Therefore, habilitation of a deaf or hard-of-hearing child should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis is confirmed. The results of my thesis showed that deaf and hard-of-hearing children still have difficulties with social language use at the age of six. Therefore, it would be important that they also receive habilitation for a sufficiently long period of time," explains Krista Tuohimaa.
Tuohimaa's PhD study comprised 25 children who use bilateral hearing aids, 29 children who use bilateral cochlear implants and 65 typically hearing children. The social communication skills of the participants were assessed through a questionnaire for parents and day care professionals and a test of social communication skills. Statistical methods were used to analyse the association between a wide range of background factors and the social communication skills of the participants.
The results of the doctoral study showed that 64% of children who used hearing aids and 62% of children who used cochlear implants still performed below expectations on the social communication test at the age of six. For children who use hearing aids, the more severe the hearing loss, the more likely the child was to have social communication difficulties.
Maternal educational level and visual reasoning skills were associated with social communication skills in children who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. Linguistic skills, such as vocabulary, were associated with social communication skills in both deaf and hard-of-hearing and typically hearing children.
Diagnostics of hearing loss in children, hearing aids and cochlear implants have improved considerably over the last decades. However, a child who uses hearing aids or cochlear implants usually does not have completely typical hearing and therefore often needs speech and language therapy.
"In typically developing children, speech perception, language and social communication skills develop rapidly from infancy onwards. Therefore, habilitation of a deaf or hard-of-hearing child should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis is confirmed. The results of my thesis showed that deaf and hard-of-hearing children still have difficulties with social language use at the age of six. Therefore, it would be important that they also receive habilitation for a sufficiently long period of time," explains Krista Tuohimaa.
Tuohimaa's PhD study comprised 25 children who use bilateral hearing aids, 29 children who use bilateral cochlear implants and 65 typically hearing children. The social communication skills of the participants were assessed through a questionnaire for parents and day care professionals and a test of social communication skills. Statistical methods were used to analyse the association between a wide range of background factors and the social communication skills of the participants.
The results of the doctoral study showed that 64% of children who used hearing aids and 62% of children who used cochlear implants still performed below expectations on the social communication test at the age of six. For children who use hearing aids, the more severe the hearing loss, the more likely the child was to have social communication difficulties.
Maternal educational level and visual reasoning skills were associated with social communication skills in children who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. Linguistic skills, such as vocabulary, were associated with social communication skills in both deaf and hard-of-hearing and typically hearing children.
Last updated: 3.6.2024